Why it is illogical to celebrate Delhi smog as a victory over Diwali firecracker ban
Delhi is choking under a poisonous blanket.
As Delhi chokes under a grey shroud of poisonous gases, dust and particulate matter, strangely jubilant voices are emerging, claiming that the smog has given the lie to the claims of those "anti-Hindus" who tried to blame Diwali firecrackers for pollution.
When you choose a lethal grey cloud as your ally in arguments, it is clearly problematic.
Delhi looks terribly dark & gloomy, full of smog even without #Diwali crackers. I don't see any kind of change after the famous cracker ban this year. Our courts should now make some effort to find out the actual cause of Delhi pollution & not blindly ban Hindu festivals. pic.twitter.com/hELFqGFwXD
— Neelu (@DrNeelakshiGswm) November 8, 2017
Now there is no Single Politician Commenting now, On #Cracker ban they targetted the Religion nd r silent now #smog
— Abhi Bugde (@unico_AB) November 7, 2017
Too much smog in Delhi. Cracker ban was not enough. Supreme Court should now ban Makar Sankranti, Basant Panchami and Holi also.
— Chhota Mowgli (@_GandaBachcha) November 7, 2017
They are doing it because they know this is a quick fix! They can get away by issuing inane directives. People will shout and forget! No concrete action taken, Smog came anyway, even after cracker ban! When SC is not capable for policy changes, WHY and HOW can they ban festivals?
— Vitamin Deficiency ! (@shubhispace) November 8, 2017
Delhi’s pollution is getting worse and these dirty yindoos are bursting crackers and celebrating Diwali. Oh wait..
— Nupur (@UnSubtleDesi) November 7, 2017
Closer look at the dirty picture
However, let us examine this dirty picture further. The sale of firecrackers was banned by the Supreme Court in in the National Capital Region ahead of Diwali this year, after a similar smog enveloped the country for days in 2016.
As the smog returns, some of the arguments being made are – a) pollution levels are still the same, what was the point of the cracker ban; b) the smog shows the cracker ban had nothing to do with the environment and was only to hurt Hindus; c) all those who had supported the cracker ban now have eggs on their faces with the return of the smog cover, ha ha ha.
If the arguments are fogging up your brain, we understand. But they also reveal a cold, clear reality – that the real reason for the pollution is people's blind apathy to it, and in bhakt-universe, anything is fair game to take the "libtards" down a notch or two.
Nobody, definitely not the Supreme Court, had said that firecrackers were the only cause of pollution, and banning them would magically clean up Delhi's air, slowly, laboriously, poisoned over the years.
However, had the crackers not been banned, the smog today would have been worse, the irritation in throat, nose and eyes that Delhiites – regardless of where they stand on the bhakt index – are feeling would have been more acute, more children would have been struggling to breathe, more plants and animals would have been silently choking. Surely, this should be as clear as a cloudless morning to everyone?
Hindutva hypocrisy
Pollution levels after Diwali this year were lower than the past three years, as records clearly showed. However, could the cracker ban have been more effective?
Yes, it could have, had more Delhiites bothered to follow it. The SC had banned only the sale of crackers, not bursting them. The NCR made full use of this loophole to burst crackers well into the night, making it loud and clear what they thought of the SC order and the "hypocritical environment lovers".
If people had realised that poison in their lungs was too high a price to pay for thumbing their noses at the no-fun, anti-Hindu brigade, Delhi's air could have been cleaner.
Cracker ban is not the only time the NCR has reacted like a petulant child when asked to clean up its act, and its air.
Capital crisis
In August 2016, the Supreme Court had banned the registration of diesel-run private cars of the capacity of 2000 CC and above and SUVs, which guzzle fuel and are more polluting. There was such a hue and cry that the order had to be lifted, and registration for these expensive vehicles was allowed after payment of a green cess.
Before that, in 2015, the Delhi government had initiated an odd-even policy – where cars with registration numbers ending with an even digit could be driven on even dates and odd digits on odd dates. This too, had been met with criticism and complaints from various quarters.
Delhi's problem is not firecrackers or the lack of them. The problem is that for some inexplicable reason, people – and the official machinery – refuse to recognise air pollution as the life-threatening emergency it is.
The National Green Tribunal has been crying itself hoarse over the need for preventive measures, and on Tuesday slammed the Delhi, UP and Haryana governments for continuing inaction.
Apathy of the rich
Now, the discourse is revolving mainly around stubble burning by farmers in Punjab and Haryana. However, Delhi's pollution also has to do with the rich's insensitivity to the plight of others.
The rich keep their air conditioners running 12 months of the year and sleep in blankets, one family owns multiple cars, they live their lives in air-conditioned bubbles of home, office and cars, they buy air purifiers and masks when the going gets rough. Meanwhile, the poor die on the streets.
It is extremely puzzling that a public health crisis as severe as the pollution Delhi is facing has not been met by resident associations coming together to create awareness or take curative steps themselves, instead leaving all the firefighting to the government.
Emergency meeting on Pollution with @ArvindKejriwal . Measures approved include ban on entry of trucks(except carrying essentials), ban on civil construction, school holidays till Week end, hike in parking fees & higher frequency of metro & buses. pic.twitter.com/wtxsT5Y1wV
— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) November 8, 2017
Those attacking the cracker ban too have so far not suggested alternative solutions.
Instead of engaging in pointless debates, what Delhiites need to do is wake up to the severity of the problem facing them, and help the government come up with comprehensive steps to tackle it. That would be true love for the nation.